Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Why Go LEED?

LEED, Leader in Energy and Environmental Design, is a system of evaluating buildings according to a series of energy and environmental standards that translate to a numerical rating or LEED credits.

National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) says that more than half of the worlds 500 largest corporations say they want to build and occupy real estate that reflects their values (i.e. being environmentally friendly) and many issued sustainability reports as well. Companies are starting to engage in RPI, or responsible property investing, looking at things like urban reinvestment, and energy conservation, taking into account both environmental benefits and also generating market rates of return.

Green buildings have many features that attract buyers such as reduced utility costs, health benefits, self-contained emergency water and power supplies, and retaining value far longer.
Green promotion can help business. First, because anything that fosters action on climate protects business, and second, it generates free press. Aspen Skiing Company took some green steps in improving their lodge, and got roughly $100,000 worth of coverage by Time alone. 4 Times Square is the first green high rise office building in U.S. A new building adjacent from that will be the Bank of America at One Bryant Park. It will be the second tallest building in NYC. The budget for this project is $1 billion but it is estimated that less than 2% of the costs are related to green features.

LEED certified buildings offer specific advantages for those who wish to conserve resources. They are:
-Leading the tranformation of the built enviornment
-built as designed and perform as expected
-have lower operating costs and increased asset value
-healthy and comfortable for their occupants
-reduce waste sent to landfills
-conserve energy and water
-Reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions
-qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances, and other incentives in hundreds of cities
-demonstrate an owenr's commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility

Information taken from http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Truly said, leed building is helping a lot not only to protect environment but, to also measure the sustainability of the building.
Real Estate Marketing At Logical Green Institute